Translation and validation study of Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy at Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of the Urdu version of Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from August 1 to October 31, 2020, at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan. The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy was translated into Urdu by using a forward-backward procedure. The test-retest reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha reliability analysis. The validity of the translated questionnaire was constructed by using exploratory factor analysis through principal axis factoring extraction and Oblique rotation with Kaiser Normalisation. The constructs were retained based on extracted communalities. Data was analysed using SPSS v 21. RESULTS: The Urdu version of the questionnaire exhibited acceptable test-retest alpha values of 0.780 and 0.812 at two-time points, with an overall value of 0.790. All items showed good stability with intraclass correlation coefficient values of >0.80. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure for factor analysis was 0.812. Barlett's Test of Sphericity was significant (p<0.05). Three factors explaining the variance were extracted and the loading values for all nine constructs were acceptable (>0.40). All items of the translated version were retained, proving the validity of the Urdu version of the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: The translated version of Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of quality of life for pregnant women in regions where Urdu is the prime language of communication.

Impact of pharmacist-led interventions on diabetes management at a community pharmacy in Pakistan: A quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on satisfaction, disease state knowledge and perception of self-management of diabetes patients. METHODS: The interventional, quasi-experimental study was conducted in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, from December 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, and comprised data data from a community pharmacy of patients who had diagnosed type 2 diabetes for at least one year. Both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventional tools were used as part of a care package administered by pharmacists. The modified version of the Diabetes Disease State Management Questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction, disease state knowledge and perception of self-management. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients initially enrolled, 80(80%) completed the follow-up. The mean age of the sample was 49.33±8.31 years. Of the total, 63(78.8%) patients had diabetes for <10 years. A significant improvement was seen in patient satisfaction (p=0.04), disease state knowledge (p=0.009) and self-management of diabetes (p=0.02) scores after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions by pharmacists in a community pharmacy resulted in significant improvement in patient satisfaction, disease state knowledge and perception of self-management among type 2 diabetes patients.

Prediabetes in adolescents - an emerging epidemic - a cross-sectional survey of medical students at a public university, Quetta, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and determinants of prediabetes among adolescents. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at a public-sector medical university in Quetta, Pakistan, from December 2019 to February 2020, and comprised students aged 16-19 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather socio-demographic data. Fasting blood sample was taken to measure the fasting plasma glucose level, lipid profile and glycated haemoglobin levels. Height, weight, neck circumference and waist circumference were also measured. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 351 subjects, 158(45%) were males and 193(55%) were females. The overall mean age was 18.81±0.41 years. Of the total, 81(23.1%) participants were found to have prediabetes. Neck circumference was identified as the strongest predictor for prediabetes, followed by high level of triglycerides, high systolic blood pressure, low levels of high-density lipoproteins, high levels of low-density lipoproteins, high diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of prediabetes among male and female students (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of prediabetes among male and female medical students. Neck circumference, Waist circumference, Body mass index, systolic blood pressure, Diastolic blood pressure, Triglyceride and High density Lipoprotein were strong predictors of prediabetes in adolescent population.

Frequency and predictors of metabolic syndrome in adolescents /first year medical students of a public sector medical college Quetta, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in medical students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bolan Medical College, Quetta, Pakistan, from August 2015 to January 2016, and comprised healthy first-year medical students. Demographic data was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured along with fasting blood sugar, high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides by using automated biochemistry analyser. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 225 participants, 127(56.4%) were females. The overall mean age was 18.80±0.426 years. Frequency of metabolic syndrome was 32(14.2%). Increased waist circumference, fasting blood sugar and triglycerides were associated with an increased likelihood of exhibiting metabolic syndrome (p<0,05 each). Male gender and high-density lipoprotein were found to be protective against metabolic syndrome (p<0.05 each).. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increasing in our adolescent population which demands screening from childhood and early adolescence..

Frequency of and factors leading to obesity and overweight in school children.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is considered as a global epidemic. Obesity in childhood and adolescent is an issue of concern because it is an important predictor of adult obesity. Identifying individuals who are physically inactive, overweight or obese in school going age is very important. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and factors leading to obesity in school children. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on children aged 13-16 years. It was a questionnaire based survey with measurement of height and weight. RESULTS: Total 431 children were included in the study. Three hundred and nine (71.7%) of the students were in the normal category, i.e., less than 85th centile while 122 (28.3%) had weight greater than 85th centile and were overweight and obese. Positive association was found between eating out and weight categories, eating breakfast, intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and soft drinks, low physical activity, and increased screen time. Frequency of overweight and obese children was high in children from higher socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: There is strong association between strong determinants of obesity and overweight. Health education of students for known risk factors should be integrated with curriculum of science from elementary classes.